Tie rack



United States Patent O Ce 3,168,197 TIE RACK Stanley C. Sconza, 2836 /2N. Prieur St., New Orleans 17, La. Filed Apr. 1, 1963, Ser. No. 269,5384 Claims. (Cl. 211--13) This invention .comprises a new and improved tierack suitalble for use in the home as a convenient hanger for necktiesand as a store display for efectively promoting the sale of neckwear.

One important object of this invention is to provide a tie rack whichprovides a positive support for neckties hung on it so that the tiescannot slip off the rack even when the rack is moved.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a :tie rackwhich displays neckties hung on it in their knotted form. Thus the rackmost realistically displays the neckties hung On it so that when therack is used in a store lrt effeotively promotes the sale of tiesdisplayed on it and when used in the home it assists in the selection ofa tie to be worn.

Another impotrant object of this invention is to provide a tie rackwhich supports four-in-hand ties in a knotted form and allows them to beremoved while knotted and 'placed upon the person to give an accurateindication of how the tie looks when worn.

Another important object of this invention is to pro vide a relativelyinexpensive tie rack which can be hung easily.

To accomplish these and other objects the tie rack of this inventionincludes a base having a plurality of sets of slots provided -thereinand a like number of hangers upon which a four-in-hand ties can beknotted. The hangers have a plurality of protrusions equal in number tothe number of slots in a set and which releasably fit into the slots soas to support on :the base the ties knotted on them. These and otherobjects and features of this invention will be better understood andappreciated from the following detailed description of one embodimentthereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an ex ploded perspective view of a tie rack constrncted inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the corresponding sectionline in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 -is a perspective view showing a .tie knotted on a hanger formingpart of the rack;

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the hanger Carrying a tie and mounted onthe rack base; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a modification of the hanger.

In FIG. 1 the tie rack is shown co-mposed of a base and a plurality ofhangers 12. The rack includes a plurality of sets of slots 14, each setcomposed of three slots, and one hanger is provided for each set ofslots.

The body 10 may be stamped from a lightweight and inexpensive sheetmetal such as alnminum or may be molded Or otherwise formed from plasticmaterial. Be cause the base 10 in use is ordinarily secnred flushagainst a door, Wall Or other similar support and carries little weight,it need not .be made of expensive heavy gange stock.

In FIG. 2 wherein a stamped metal base is shown in cross section, i twill be noted that the base is provided with a pair of longitudinallyextending raised side ribs 16 and 18 and a longitudinally entendingraised central portion 20 somewhat shorter than the ribs. The facingwalls 22 and 24 of the ribs are each provided with a longitudinal row ofVertical slots 26 and 28, respectively, which are horizontally alignedin pairs as is clearly evident in FIG. 1. As the slots 26 and 28 areprovided Patented Feb. 2, 1965 in the facing sides of the ribs 16 and18, the slots of each pair actually open in the direction of oneanother.

The ribs 16 and 18 formed in the base are appreciably higher than thecentral portion 20 of the base, and the outer side edges 30 and 32 arein the plane of or slightly in front of the plane of the front surface34 of the central portion 20 of the base. Thus, the slots 26 and 28 arein slight of one another and a flat rather thin piece of stock mayextend Over the .front face 34 of the central portion 20 With :its endsdisposed in the slots 26 and 28.

The -pairs of slots 26 and 28 cooperate with additional' slot 36. Eachset of slots is adap ted to support a hanger 12. Each hanger 12 isgenerally Y-shaped and has a pair of arms Or wings 40 and 42 thatdiverge in an npwardly directon and a downwardly directed stein 44. Thehangens made of fiat stock may be stamped from flexible sheet metal suchas aluminnm or stamped or molded from plastic. While the hangers aremade of flexible material they are of course rigid enough to retaintheir shape. The span between the tips 46 of the arms 40 and 42 of eachhanger exceeds the distance between the facing pairs of slots 26 and 28so that the arms may simultaneously extend into the slots 26 and 28Because the hangers are made of flexible material they may be squeezedtogether somewhat to reduce the span between the 'Dips 46 to enable thearms 40 and 42 to -be inserted in :the slots 26 and 28, respectively.

The stem 44 of the hanger are designed to fit within the horizontalslots 36 to lend additional support to the hangers on the base 10. Asshown in FIG. 3, the stem 44 is somewhat longer than the length of theknot tied in the necktie. Thus, when a tie is knotted about the hanger,12, the lower tip 48 of the stem 44 extends beneath the knot so that itmay be inserted in the slot 36 to enable the hanger with the necktieknotted about it to be hung on the base.

In use, one hanger 12 is used for each necktie. To knot a necktie on thehanger 12 it is looped over the hanger between the arms 40 and 42, andthen the tie is Wound about the stem 44 and slipped through one loop toform the knot. Because the stem 44 is longer than the knot, the tip 48of the stem 44 extends down- Wardly beiow the knot and is exposed. Afterthe tie is made up on the hanger, the arms 40 and 42 are pinchedtogether and slipped into the slots 26 and 28, respectively. The arms 40and 42 are then released and extend into the slots 26 and 28, andthereafter the tip 48 of the stem is inserted into the horizontal slot36. The tie is thereby securely hung in place.

It will be appreciated from an inspection of FIGS. 1 and 4 that eachhanger snpports a knotted tie in its set of slots, and therefore theties are compactly hung and overlap one another. The ties are readilyviewable and may be examined most effectively by merely lifting up orpushing aside the ties that lie above the one to be inspected On therack. Because of the secure manner in which the hangers are carried bythe base 10, when the base is hung on a door by a nail or hook in sertedthrough the opening 50 provided at its top, rapid opening and closing ofthe door will not Shake any of the hangers off the base.

While in the foregoing description the base 10 has been described incombination with a plurality of hangers designed to fit the several setsof slots in the base, it will be appreciated that the base may be usedto support ready made fo'ur-in-hand ties that have as a permanent partthereof spring-type wings which are oriented substantially identical tothe arms 40 and 42 of the hanger 12 and which fit under the collarof thewearer. Such ready made four-in-hand ties also include as part of thefitting a hook that fits behind the collar button, and they may besupported on the base it) by slipping the wings into oppos'ed Verticalslots 26 and 28 and the hcok into slot 36. The spacing between the slots26 and 28 may be siZed to Conform with the span of the wings of theready made neckwear. In FIG. hanger 12' having wings 46' and 42' andhook 44' is shown. That hanger is substantially identical to the fittingof ready made ties.

It will also be appreciated from the foregoing description that whilethe base shown in FIG. 2 is made of a stamped metal sheet material,specially bent to move the openings 26, 28 and 35 away from the surfaceupon which the base normally lies, the same results may be achieved bymolding the base 'of stock which is rectanguiar in cross section andforming the slots 26, 28 and 36 with their center lines divergingrearwardly toward the plane of the back of the base,

.as opposed to being disposed normal to it. So arranged the slots willreceive the ends of the hangers and provide space for the tips 45 and 48without interference from Wall in which the base is hung.

Because numerous modifications may b'e made of this invention withoutdeparting from its spirit, it is not intended that the scope of thisinvention be limited to the single embodiment illustrated and described.Rather, it is intended that the breadth of this invention be determinedby the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is: 1. A tie rack comprising a base having a pair ofVertical coeXtensive sp-aced CJI plane of the rear surface of the baseadapted to bear against the Wall,

a pair of side ribs extending longitudinally of the base on oppositesides of the Central portion and also raised forward of the plane of therear surface of base,

a row of Vertical slots provided in each of the ribs and facing towardone another and extending above the plane of the Central portion of thebase, said slots on each rib forminghorizontal pairs,

and additional horizontal slots provided in the central portion witheach disposed' between "adjacent parts,

and a Y-shaped hanger provided for each pair of slots and having a pairof arrns which fit within the pairs of slots and a stem which fits intothe horizontal slots, said hanger being adapted to hang on the base afour-in-hand tie knotted about it and with the ties of adjacent han gersin overlapping relationship.

3. A tie rack as defined in claim 2 further characterized by said pairsof slots being spaced Closer together than the span of the arms of thehanger and said hanger being made of a flexible material so that it maybe fieXed to insert the arms into the pairs of slots.

4. A tie rack comprising an elongated base adapted to be supported on avertical wall and having a longitudinally extending central portionwhich extends forward out of the plane of the rear surface of the baseadapted to bear against the Wall,

a pair of side ribs extending longitudinally of the base on oppositesides of the central portion and also raised forward 'of the plane ofthe rear surface of the base,

a row of Vertical slots provided in each of the ribs and facing towardone another and extending above the plane of the central portion of thebase, said slots on each rib ferming horizontal pairs,

and additional horizontal slots provided in the cen- 7 tral portionwith' each disposed between adjacent pairs.

References Citedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/74 Orth.

FOREIGN PATENTS 7/44 Sweden.

CLUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. FRANK L. ABBOTT, Examiner.

1. A TIE RACK COMPRISING A BASE HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICAL COEXTENSIVESPACED SLOTS OPEN IN A DIRECTION FACING ONE ANOTHER, A HORIZONTAL SLOTDISPOSED BETWEEN THE VERTICAL SLOTS AND ALIGNED SUBSTANTIALLY WITH THELOWER ENDS OF SAID VERTICAL SLOTS,